Tribocorrosion- Some Fundamentals,

Overview and Current Status

SEMINAR REPORT

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 ABSTRACT

Tribocorrosion is a research area combining the science of tribology and corrosion, has drawn
enormous attention from scientists and engineers belonging to wide spectrum of research
domains. This is due to its practical impact on daily life and also the accompanying economical
burdens. In fact, tribocorrosion helps in understanding the influence of mechanical and chemical
parameter variables on material degradation. It encompasses a wide range of applications
including the offshore, space and biomedical industry.

Keeping in view the importance and the uniqueness of this upcoming area of research; it was
thought to consolidate the work done in this area so that a comprehensive picture of the current
state of knowledge can be depicted. The subject area is too vast to be included in a single paper;
however, a concerted effort has been made in the present paper to put forth some fundamentals
of the tribocorrosion as well as the research work done by the several authors in this attractive
area of research. Complexity of tribocorrosion process has been highlighted, as it is influenced
by several parameters (mechanical and corrosion) and also due to the lack of an
integrated/efficient test system. Then, a review of the recent work in the area of bio-
tribocorrosion is provided, by focusing on orthopedic surgery and dentistry.

This paper aims to present an introductory review of this fascinating and emerging field of
engineering, with reference to the limited literature that is available to the till date. The paper
starts with a brief description of the phenomenon, the factors affecting tribocorrosion, the state of
the art and current status and culminates with the practical limitations and the challenges paused
in the studies related to tribocorrosion. The technological importance of tribocorrosion duly
supported by examples and case studies has also been discussed in-between.
 CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION

Tribocorrosion has evolved into a new and emerging area of research with many applications
going beyond the conventional. It is basically an integration of two major areas of significance
and application in mechanical systems namely Tribology and Corrosion. Tribology is the science
of friction, wear and lubrication whereas corrosion, also an important area of research relates to
material degradation in mechanical systems [1-2].

Tribocorrosion can be defined as degradation phenomenon of material surfaces (wear, cracking,

corrosion etc.) subjected to the combined action of mechanical loading (friction, abrasion,
erosion etc.) and corrosion loading caused by the environment (chemical and / or electrochemical
interaction) [2-4], as highlighted in the Figure 1. The history of tribocorrosion (tribo-
electrochemistry) dates back to 1875, when Edison observed a variation in friction coefficient at
various applied potential [5]. Recently, the field of tribocorrosion has grown and developed and
attracting the attention of researchers from various fields of science and engineering, mainly due
to its practical importance rather than economic benefits. Some of the realistic applications are
listed in the Figure 27 Fun3Sm6ntal]y, tribocorrosion studies deal with an irreversible
transformation of materials or their function as a result of simultaneous mechanical and chemical
/ electrochemical interaction between surfaces in relative motion [2,6,7].

Tribocorrosion can be characterized by its synergy resulting from the coupling of mechanical
and environmental effects. This synergism results in degradation and hence, loss of material that
often is, much larger than the one which would be expected by simply summing up the
degradation due to individual process. This synergism can have positive or negative effects
depending upon the specific reaction products formed on the surface of the materials, which can
protect the surface as in the case of self-lubricating and / or self- healing layers or can aggravate
the material degradation process causing more material removal [9-11].
Tribocorrosion involves mechanical and chemical / electrochemical interaction between surfaces
in relative motion in the presence of a corrosive environment. It is encountered in many areas
where it can cause damage to installations, machines and devices and there are other
applications, where this phenomenon is put to good use. It is also noticed in living systems as in
case of metallic implants in human body such as hip joints and orthopedic implants and also
dental implants. Hence this whole field of tribocorrosion is being studied and researched under
two categories -Tribocorrosion in industrial systems and Tribocorrosion in living systems [2-3,
8-10].

In fact, the available wear-corrosion synergism ASTM standard is G119, which is published in
1995 [11]. In 2001, an attempt was made by Mischler et al. [4], to conduct inter-laboratory
studies among the tribocorrosion research labs, in Europe (Round-robin). Further, Tribocorr-net
work initiated by Stack at University of Strathclyde, UK, also an important body, to provide new
directions to the research in the area of tribocorrosion. (www.Tribo-corr.net)
 CHAPTER 2
TRIBOCORROSION : SOME IMPORTANT ASPECTS

2.1 Multi-Disciplinary Approach In Tribocorrosion

Tribocorrosion is a general term encompassing all the mechanical (wear) and chemical
(corrosion) interactions that provoke the degradation of materials in relative displacement.
Despite its widespread occurrence and industrial relevance, it is still poorly understood. The
interaction of material surfaces causes reaction products, its removal, reformation etc., leading to
a cycle of positive and negative synergisms depending upon the mechanical interaction taking
place. Hence, there is a need for a multidisciplinary approach to understand the system consisting
of a material surface, an environment and a mechanical contact. This study requires an
integration of researchers from various disciplines namely material science, mechanical
engineering, surface engineering, electrochemistry / chemistry tribology, biology and medicine.
These interactions happening at the material surfaces can also happen at the micro and nano
levels, which have become a new and current trend in this research.

Example –
(a) the corrosion resistance of metals and alloys are sustained by protective properties of very
thin and compact oxide films i.e., passive films. These passive films are very much essential and
efforts are on to study the mechanical properties of these very thin films through the use of nano
indentation and nano scratching techniques [12].

(b) Ni-SiC composites have been widely investigated and successfully commercialized in
automotive and aerospace industry as a result of their improved mechanical and tribological
properties. These composites are having excellent mechanical properties, good thermal stability,
chemical inertness and high wear resistance and are used in turbine engines, radiator sealing
systems of automobile engines and mechanical devices in atomic reactors. Efforts are on to study
the influence of nano-sized SiC particles dispersed in the Ni matrix on the tribocorrosion
behavior of Ni-SiC nano structured coatings used in such applications [13].

2.2 Some Practical Examples

Tribocorrosion phenomena are encountered in a wide variety of applications and lead to material
loss, which is uneconomical and, also there are other associated issues namely - safety,
reliability, performance, energy efficiency, durability of the equipment, pollution, health or the
optimization of manufacturing technology and economic competitiveness, as shown in Figure 2.
Hence, there is a need to understand the significance of these processes through examples and
case studies. Some industries where tribocorrosion can occur include nuclear, process industry,
chemical and petrochemical industry, marine industry, material handling, mining, aerospace
industry, automotive industry, food, offshore and biomedical, [8-9]

Tribocorrosion is also encountered in living systems -areas where it can cause damage to human
joints, prosthesis and restorative dentistry etc., thereby establishing their implications on human
health and quality of life [3, 6].
Examples:-
(a) Pumps in cooling circuits
(b) Jet engines, rocket nozzles and hydraulic systems,
(c) Fluid handling equipment such as pipes, impellers, propellers, heat exchanger tubes, valves
and pumps,
(d) Mechanical watches,
(e) Hard disk drives,
(f) Mining equipment,
(g) Mechanical processes - cutting, grinding and polishing,
(h) Automobile components - valves, cylinder linings, bearings and brakes
(i)Diesel motors - cylinder linings
(j)Food processing - extruders, mixers, pumps and pipes
(k)Coatings - thermally sprayed, plasma sprayed, plasma electrolytic oxidation coatings, PVD
coatings, multilayered coatings etc., [2.9.10].

2.3 Classifications Of Tribocorrosion

Material degradation due to simultaneous chemical and mechanical effects may occur under a
variety of conditions as shown in Figure 3. Tribocorrosion includes the interaction of corrosion
with the following –

• Solid particle erosion;

• Abrasion;
• Cavitation erosion;
• Fretting;
• Biological solutions;
• Sliding wear and tribo-oxidation;

Two body or three body contacts between sliding surfaces are a common cause of
Tribocorrosion. The relative motion of the surfaces can be unidirectional as in case of a pin-on-
disk wear test apparatus or reciprocating. Fretting involving reciprocating motion of small
magnitude is a special type of tribological contact. Rolling contact occurring in ball bearings also
experiences tribocorrosion. Particle impingement happening in erosion corrosion, which is a
combination of mechanical and chemical attack on materials occurs in pumps and pipes carrying
slurries.

From a physical point of view, tribocorrosion includes a variety of mechanical and chemical
degradation phenomena namely corrosive wear, erosive wear, wear accelerated corrosion,
erosion corrosion, oxidative wear, fretting corrosion, stress corrosion cracking and corrosion
fatigue [2,7,8].

2.4 Factors Affecting Tribocorrosion Process And Mechanisms

Tribocorrosion behavior depends on (i) the properties of the contacting materials, (ii) the
mechanics of the tribological contact and (iii) -the physico-chemical properties of the
environment. These aspects are strongly interrelated -either synergistic or antagonistic, which
can have beneficial or deleterious influence over the performance of the tribological system.
Therefore, the need is to study tribocorrosion from a systems perspective as it involves an
integration of several subsystems. Figure 4 shows the important parameters affecting the
tribocorrosion behavior in case of a sliding contact under electrochemical control. The following
paragraph enumerates some of the important factors affecting this phenomenon [9-10].

(a) Materials - The properties of all the materials involved ir the tribological contact including
those of the reaction producis formed on the rubbing surface are of importance. In the absence of
corrosion, wear resistance of a material depends on properties such as hardness, rigidity, ductility
and yield strength. The relationship between these properties on tribocorrosion rate is not very
clear. Published research has tried to study the synergistic effects between wear and corrosion
processes which result in accelerated material loss and in some cases actually decelerate material
loss.

A wide range of corrosion resistant materials rely on a relatively thin surface oxide film to
provide a barrier to charge transfer between the relatively active bulk material and the corrosive
environment. This film renders the surface passive, but within the tribological contacts, the
passive film can be removed by mechanical wear or impingement processes. Wherever, the film
is mechanically damaged and removed, the charge transfer can take place at the interface without
any resistance from the barrier film. This interaction between tribological and electrochemical
corrosive effects causes materials to corrode at a different rate from that experienced under pure
wear conditions [7-9].

The microstructure of the materials and the presence of defects like phase distribution, grain size
and orientation, non-metallic inclusions, segregations, dislocation density etc. are critical for the
mechanical behavior of the materials. The topography and the chemical composition of the
Contacting surfaces also play a crucial role in tribocorrosion. This includes the initial surface
roughness, its evolution overtime, formation of plastically deformed surface layers due to
rubbing or impacts, the growth and the mechanical properties of oxide films formed and the
formation of reaction product layer and its adsorption.
Another critical issue concerns the chemical and electrochemical characteristics of the contacting
materials in a particular corrosive environment to which they are exposed. The passive oxide
films formed on metal surfaces constitute the passivation behavior of metals, which offer the
necessary corrosion resistance and is very important in the study of tribocorrosion. This includes
the rate of repassivation in case of a mechanically depassivated surface, the charge needed for
repair film, the mechanical properties of the passive film and its electrochemical stability
towards oxidation, reduction and pitting.

In case of metals exposed to high temperatures, the mechanical and chemical properties of the
thick oxide layers formed determine the tribocorrosion rate.

(b) Mechanical/operational parameters - The rate of tribocorrosion for a given metal-

environment combination depends on the applied forces and the type of contact -sliding, fretting,
rolling or impact. The other factors include - sliding velocity, type of motion, shape and size of
contacting bodies, alignment, vibration etc. For example, in the case of fretting corrosion, there
are small amplitude oscillations occurring in a corrosive environment.

Contact geometry involving shape and size of contacting surfaces is another important parameter
in tribocorrosion, as it determines the size of the contact zone and the alignment of the rubbing
surfaces. Different mechanical processes have different parameters affecting the process, like in
case of erosion - the energy and the angle of incidence of the impacting particles and their shape
are critical variables.

(c) Solution/Environment - For a given metal pair, environmental effects / variables play a major
role in tribocorrosion. Its influence is in the form of the medium at the interface i.e., solid, liquid
or gaseous and its corresponding properties like viscosity, conductivity, pH, corrosivity,
temperature etc. eg. for metals exposed to air, the relative humidity will determine whether a thin
liquid electrolyte film may form at the surface changing the corrosion mechanism. In case of
aqueous systems, concentration of oxygen, pH and concentration of certain anions like chloride
ions influences corrosivity. In case of high temperature applications, the physical nature of the
scales formed is critical. Certain corrosion products containing sulfur have a relatively low
melting point, which can lead to the formation of highly corrosive molten salts on the surface.

(d) Electrochemical parameters: In the tribocorrosion electrochemical aspects are very important,
as the corrosion monitoring is being done by using basic electrochemistry. Basic parameters are
applied potential, ohmic resistance, passive film growth, active dissolution etc, as shown in
Figure 4. The electrochemical aspect is considered mainly because tribocorrosion phenomena
have been studied for many years by electrochemists and tribologists. Electrochemists have
concentrated their attention on the study of the kinetics of repassivation of metal surfaces
activated by scratching, whereas tribologists have been interested as to how surface oxidation
during rubbing affects the rate of mechanical wear. More recently, the mutual dependence of
mechanical and electrochemical mechanisms has been found [2,7-9].

CHAPTER 3
 TRIBOCORROSION: TEST SYSTEM AND METHODOLOGY

3.1 Basic Methodology

As mentioned earlier, in order to study the tribocorrosion behavior, mechanical and corrosion
response from the tribocorrosion test system, are required to be collected and monitored.
Generally, tribometer has facility to measure the evolution of frictional forces and
electrochemical technique is used to monitor the corrosion response from the test system. A
schematic diagram of the basic methodology of a tribocorrosion test system is shown in the
Figure 5. Electrochemical interfacing consists of a potentiostat and three electrode attachments,
such as reference electrode (RE, either SCE or SHE) and counter electrode (CE, platinum wire or
carbon rod). The sample is connected to the working electrode (WE).
Basic/general steps in a tribocorrosion tests are explained in a schematic diagram in Figure 6.
The selection of parameters depends on the application and research interest. For example in
case of an orthopedic application, the influence of load or cycles might be the parameter of
interest.

In dental application, the pH of the solution is parameter to be investigated. The technique to be

used varies with the nature of the test system. Generally, open circuit potential (OCP)
measurement provides the evolution of potential and potential changes in the system with respect
to standard electrode (SCE) or (SHE). Further, the corrosion current evolution can be studied at a
constant potential from the system. Likewise electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) can
be used to understand the properties or characteristics of films formed at the contact zone.
Usually such measurements are taken before and after the sliding or tribo test.

The online measurements of friction coefficient and corrosion parameter (either current or
potential) can be very useful in analysis. A typical example from a tribocorrosion study of TiCO
film is shown in the Figure 7 [14,15]. In fact, the worn surface analysis using SEM or AFM
provides valuable information on the driving tribocorrosion mechanisms. Further, the analysis of
wear debris and corrosion products can also provide information about the tribocorrosion
process.
The most important step in tribocorrosion analysis of a system is to understand the combined as
well as individual effect of tribology and corrosion along with their interaction which can either
be beneficial or detrimental. Different terms and analysis techniques are explained else where
[3]. Although the approaches used by the researchers are different, the main focus is to create a
better understanding on the mechanisms of tribocorrosion. Further, because of the complexity of
the phenomenon, the mapping approach [10] used by some of the investigators, has also
provided valuable insights on the tribocorrosion process.
3.2. Practical Limitations And Challenges In The Tribocorrosion Studies

3.2.1 Test Apparatus

One of the major drawbacks in tribocorrosion studies is the lack of a standard test apparatus. As
it's a recent area, several investigators and research laboratories are trying to modify the existing
tribometers, which are commercially available or home made to incorporate the electrochemical
test system. One of such modified system, used for tribocorrosion studies on thin films is shown
in Figure 8. However, several practical and technical problems may arise in employing such
systems for carrying out the experimental studies on tribocorrosion and analysis of the results. In
fact, proper care might lead to development of an apparatus for the specific application with a
certain limit of reliability. However, recently, attempts are being undertaken by many research
laboratories to design and develop a test system with a specific purpose for tribocorrosion
studies, which will be able to yield more accurate and reliable results.

3.2.2 Other Challenges

There are some others matters to be considered while doing the tribocorrosion test, such as
proper insulation system for corrosion current and choosing the counter bodies etc.

1. Proper interfacing (insulations): In tribocorrosion test system, the sample is subjected to an

electric current therefore, it is very important to take care of any leakage of the current through
contact or part of the circuit of the conducting materials in the system. Generally, tribocorrosion
cell is made of a insulting material, employed as an attachment in tribocorrosion system to
prevent any contact with tribometer or any other conducting materials.

2. Counter bodies: The selection of counter bodies is very important in tribocorrosion studies. If
the two contacting surfaces are conductive, the collection of responses related to corrosion is
under risk. Hence, generally, one of the contacting bodies is kept as an insulator and conducting
body is studied for their tribocorrosion resistance. However, in practice, there are such conditions
are existing (MOM hip joint) However more research is required to solve such problems and
establish a standard method and procedures.

3. Dynamic tribocorrosion test system: It is also important to note that, corrosion test system
favours the stabilized conditions. However, it is impossible to have a tribological system, in a
stabilized condition. Hence, it is a challenge in understanding and/or interpreting the corrosion
results from the tribological/dynamic conditions. At the same time, this is the novelty of the
tribocorrosion studies. Better knowledge about the tribological conditions, will definitely help in
understanding the influence of the corrosion on the tribological system. For example, the
tribocorrosion studies in a reciprocating sliding tribometer, the current evolution is associated
with sliding movement, and velocity and frequency in sinusoidal mode. In Figure 7, such effects
are highlighted as A.

CHAPTER 4
 TRIBOCORROSION: CURRENT STATUS

The area of tribocorrosion has been a subject of intense research, since last several years. Though
the research in the field started as early as 1980s, many Universities, research organizations and
industries got actively engaged in research on this area only from last decade or so. The in-depth
study of the mechanisms behind tribocorrosion was recently initiated in different fields to clarify
the in-situ durability of interacting material surfaces. There has been a multidisciplinary
approach of the systems, making it an attractive area of research, involving researchers from
different fields.

Corrosion being an important component of a tribocorrosion system, there is a need to simulate

the corrosive testing environment, which requires a potential that can be determined by both its
electrochemical properties and the concentration of the' oxidizing agents present in the
environment. To simulate the effect of an oxidizing agent one can impose a corresponding
potential on the metal by means of an external current source. Electrochemical techniques are
also available, which allow variation in corrosion conditions over a wide range by varying the
applied potential. Hence, a large volume of research is concentrated in this area. In following
sessions, the authors attempted to include some review work in this area, and highlight the
significance of tribocorrosion in the biomedical application (known as bio-tribocorrosion), by
explaining the reported research work.
-
4.1 Reported review works

In 2001, D. Landolt [6] has discussed the application of electrochemical methods to the study of
tribocorrosion phenomenon. The importance of controlling the mechanical parameters and the
contact geometry has been stressed and it has been shown that these parameters can significantly
affect the electrochemical response of a tribocorrosion system. These methods offer distinct
advantages for the study of tribocorrosion systems in that they permit to simulate the oxidation
characteristics of a corrosive environment by applying a known electrode potential.

In his another work [2], the same author has discussed about the electrochemical and material
aspects of tribocorrosion systems. Electrochemical methods have been used to yield information
about synergistic and antagonistic mechanisms, for which they must be applied in-situ under
strictly controlled mechanical conditions, using materials with well characterized surface
properties. Recent progresses in modeling and understanding of tribocorrosion systems have also
been discussed and some challenges and opportunities for future research are identified.

P. Ponthiaux et al. [8] have also highlighted some electrochemical techniques for studying the
combined corrosion-wear degradation of materials in sliding contacts immersed in electrically
conductive solutions. The techniques discussed are open circuit potential measurements, the
potentiodynamic polarization measurements arid the electrochemical impedance measurements.
The capabilities and limitations of these techniques are also discussed based on a tribocorrosion
study of AISI 316 stainless steel and an iron-nickel alloy immersed in aerated 0.5 M sulfuric acid
and sliding against a corundum counterpart.

The role of coatings/thin films and its performance under combined wear and corrosion
conditions is another active area of research in tribocorrosion. It is essential to understand how
coatings perform under different tribocorrosion conditions, in order to predict the service life of
the equipment to explore the ways to enhance it.

R.J.K. Wood et al. [7] has comprehensively reviewed the tribocorrosion performance of coatings
deposited by a variety of techniques and the main mechanisms associated with their degradation
under combined wear and corrosion. Coating composition, microstructure, defect level,
adhesion, cohesion and substrate properties have been reported as some of the critical elements
in coating performance when subjected to tribocorrosion contacts. The importance of post-
coating deposition treatments such as laser resurfacing and sealing have also been discussed.
Some models and mapping techniques evolved to provide information regarding coating
selection and performance prediction have been presented. The review also highlights the need
for a more concentrated approach toward tribocorrosion testing and the way in which the results
could be analyzed and presented.

In a recent review, S.Mischler [3] reported the importance of electrochemical techniques and
evaluation methods used in tribocorrosion studies, during last 10 years. The identified studies
were focused on the practical applications, such as, coatings, biomedical, seals, nuclear and
lubricants. It is interesting to note that, among the 42 studies reported, the biomedical area stands
in first, and is drawing increased attention of researchers, as shown in the Figure 9. Hence, the
next section of paper deals with some of the aspects of tribocorrosion in biomedical applications
(listing some reported studies).

4.2 Some Of The Reported Tribocorrosion Case Studies In Bio-Medical Applications

In the biomedical area, the application of tribocorrosion can be included into two major areas,
such as orthopedic surgery/science and dentistry. Some of the reported studies explained below.

(a) Orthopedic science/surgery

Tribological aspects of the body joints, especially hip and knee joints are explored by many
researchers, to improve the life span of such joints, helping the patients to avoid the revision
surgery. However, as the tribological event in such joints are influenced by the body fluids at the
interface (synovial fluid), tribocorrosion comes in to picture. Some of the recent studies
explained below.
F. Contu et al. [16] studied the stability of the passive film on commercially pure titanium, T1-
6A1-4V, Ti-6Al-7Nb and CoCrMo implant alloys in bovine serum as well as the repassivation
rate after mechanical disruption of the passive film through fretting corrosion, considered as the
principle cause of implant failure. Authors highlighted the need and importance of a better
understanding of the electrochemical behavior of metallic implants both after mechanical
disruption of the passive film and of the stability of the protecting oxide film when exposed to
physiological solutions.

S. Mischleretal. [17-18] studied the possible degradation phenomena (wear, corrosion, changes
in surface composition) arising from friction between bone and Ti-6Al-4V alloy, a widely used
material in implants. It has been observed that bone-implant interfaces are subject to friction,
which can cause fretting corrosion with inflammatory tissue reaction. After a set of preliminary
studies they stressed on the need to study the tribological behavior at the interface as the
phenomena occurring are complex in nature. Further, P Dahm et al. [19] studied the wear
(abrasion response) of coated biomedical steel in corrosive environment.

Recently, Yan et al. [20-21] also reported very interesting work on the tribocorrosion behavior of
CoCr- Mo alloy for the hip joint applications in a special experimental set-up. Further, Brown et
al. [22] at Case Western Reserve University, USA, and Hallab. N.J. et al. [23] at Rush University
Medical Centre, USA, also specifically studied the fretting-corrosion behaviors of the implant
materials by simulating contact condition of the body articulations.

Stack et al. [24] have studied microabrasion-corrosion behaviour of a steel / polymer couple in
carbonate/bicarbonate by simulating the hip joint contact conditions. The effects of two
variables, applied load and potential have been investigated on the wear rate enabling
quantification of the corrosion and wear contributions. In addition, microabrasion-corrosion
maps were constructed showing the transitions between the microabrasion-corrosion regimes as
a function of load and applied potential. Wood et al. [25-26], also studied the microabrasion-
corrosion characteristic of more implant couples, for example, Co-Cr-alloy and polymers. :

There are many' other studies are reported on the tribocorrosion behavior of the implant metals,
based on the application. However, explaining all of them is beyond the scope of this paper.

(b) Dentistry

Dentistry is another bio-medical area, where tribocorrosion has a direct application. In fact, our
each mastication/ chewing process is a tribocorrosion cycle, as the rubbing occurs between tooth
and food particle in the presence of chemical liquid, namely saliva. Some of the reported studies
are included below.

L.A.Rocha et al. [27] investigated the tribocorrosion behavior of commercially pure titanium in
contact with artificial saliva solutions. Tests were conducted in a reciprocating sliding geometry
with movement amplitudes ranging from 200 mm (fretting) to 6 mm (wear) and normal loads
between 2 and ION. The electrochemical noise technique was used by the authors, in order to
follow the evolution of both the corrosion current and the open circuit potential of the system
during the wear tests. The pH of the artificial saliva solution was varied between 4 and 7.The
results showed that materials behaviour is strongly influenced by the pH of the solution and the
acidification of the solution improves the electrochemical response of the material.

As a continuation of the above study, A. C. Vieira et al. [28] studied the repassivation evolution
of commercially pure titanium in artificial saliva solutions by conducting tests in different kinds
of artificial saliva solutions (artificial saliva (AS), AS + citric acid, AS + anodic, cathodic or
organic inhibitor). The results showed that in some solutions, the OCR, after repassivation was
more noble than that measured before sliding. Also, the repassivation evolution appeared to be
strongly affected by the electrolyte nature. The AS + citric acid solution provided a better
repassivation evolution with time [12].

A.R.L.Ribeiro et al. (2005)[29] investigated the tribocorrosion behavior of titanium grade 2 in

reciprocating sliding conditions in contact with artificial saliva solutions. To reproduce the oral
environment around the dental implant, some additives (citric acid, anodic, cathodic and organic
inhibitors) were added to simple artificial saliva constituted mainly by NaCl and KC1 and with a
pH between 5 and 7. It was found that titanium in artificial saliva solution with citric acid had the
highest weight loss.

There are many other research groups, also investigated the tribocorrosion behaviour of dental
materials.

CHAPTER 5
 FUTURE PERSPECTIVE

A number of studies on the tribocorrosion have been carried out and are still being pursued at
various academic and research laboratories of the world to explore the underlying mechanisms of
this complex but interesting phenomenon. One of the major areas of research where
tribocorrosion has a significant role to play is in understanding the performance of implants and
mechanisms.

Despite the continued research in the field since 1990, the development of a standard test
apparatus is still a major concern. Further, in using a technique/method to understand synergism
and antagonism, is invited many disparities in interpretation of the results and postulated finding.
Authors believe that this is the most important area to be addressed, by taking a step of
conducting more inter-laboratory analysis (For example, Round robin in Europe) or by the
efforts of other internationals standard bodies.

Many researchers have tried to develop mathematical or software based models to understand the
tribocorrosion process [3, 30]. However, these have limited applicability because of the number
influencing parameters that make the phenomenon more complex. Some of the studies have also
reported the mapping approach [11, 24], however such techniques are limited to the certain
experimental conditions, and need to be extended and generalized to other conditions. Hence,
there are many issues which still need to be addressed by the tribocorrosion research in future.

Recently, there is a significant progress in the interactions and collaborations between the
researchers around the world, in the area of tribocorrosion. A step beyond, as it was a small
session of the related conference, in 2006 December; Tribo-corrosion net work (based on
Strathclyde University, Glasgow, UK) organized the first symposium on tribocorrosion in
Hyderabad, India. The second one will be coming soon in Austria, in March 2009. The future
perspectives of tribocorrosion research, for next 10 years, are shown as a schematic diagram, in
Figure 10. Authors believe that, tribocorrosion will emerge soon as a major research area, by
attracting tribologists, corrosion experts, bio- engineers, medical practitioners and materials
scientists and directly oriented to more practical/realistic based research.

CHAPTER 6
 CONCLUSION

The authors have attempted to have a comprehensive picture of the current state of knowledge in
the field of Tribocorrosion, more specifically on bio-tribocorrosion. The present overview is
focused to draw the attention research and academic fraternity toward fundamentals of
tribocorrosion and the recent developments in the area by providing a review on the important
reported work. In general, following conclusions can be drawn.

• Tribocorrosion is an emerging area relevant not only to material science and mechanical
engineering but to bio-medical and bio- chemical engineering as well.

• There are many challenges in the tribocorrosion studies, such as developing a standard
test apparatus, standardization of the analyzing techniques and methodology.

• Current status of the tribocorrosion research is analyzed and highlighted its practical
importance in the area of biomedical application, particularly in the area of orthopedic
and dentistry.

• Finally, some of the future perspectives are narrated based on the author's point of view.